Best of State Award Winners

Salt Lake City Regional Athletic Complex and Cemetery Recognized as Best of State Awardees

Two Salt Lake City Public Lands programs recently received
recognition from Utah’s annual Best of State Awards program.

The Salt Lake City Regional Athletic Complex (RAC) was named
the best sports complex in Utah by Best of State. The RAC offers sixteen
all-natural, state-of-the-art athletic fields spanning 120 acres in the
northwest corner of the city. Since opening in 2016, it has hosted dozens of large-scale
sporting events, including soccer, rugby, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, and
football tournaments for both adult and youth teams. The RAC was nominated as
the best Utah sports complex not only for its size, variety of events, and
quick rise to prominence as a high-level sporting venue, but also its ability
to host multiple diverse sporting events simultaneously and unique amenities:
Wi-Fi and quality live-stream video streaming capability, power outlets, ice
machines, space for vendors and food trucks, and 1,200 parking spaces.

Full-time Salt Lake City staff work year-round on site to
manage the RAC, overseeing operations and innovative maintenance methods – such
as robotic field painting, modern “evergreen” turf blankets, and clean solar
energy – and providing customer service and logistics support for sporting
events. The results of the RAC team’s dedicated work to host top-quality,
high-level sporting events has a ripple effect on the Utah economy, drawing
thousands of athletes, coaches, and spectators to the region who contribute to
the tourism industry. In 2018, the RAC had an estimated $19.6 million benefit
to Utah’s economy as the host of ten out-of-state tournaments.

Best of State also named the Salt Lake City Cemetery as the
best historic site in Utah in 2019. The Salt Lake City Cemetery began
operations in 1849 and is currently the largest municipal cemetery in the
United States. It is a unique site in Utah, containing the graves of over
124,000 individuals who have had an impact on our community and changed our
local, state, and national history. Salt Lake City Cemetery staff perform
burials year round, providing customer service to loved ones during challenging
and emotional life experiences. They are also tasked with maintaining hilly,
expansive grounds in all weather conditions.

Current Sexton, Mark E. Smith, often refers to the storied
grounds as “for the living” and to that end, 9.5 miles of publicly accessible
roadways allow joggers, walkers, bird watchers, and more to enjoy the beautiful
urban nature preserve that is the Salt Lake City Cemetery. In 2018, Sexton
Smith co-authored a book about Salt Lake City Cemetery history, and partnered
with Public Services Department colleagues to publish updated maps orienting
visitors for self-guided tours on four different themes. Sexton Smith, and all cemetery staff, aim to perpetuate the long standing culture
of love and care for this historic site to our next generation of caretakers that
has been integral to the community since Salt Lake City was first settled.

Salt Lake City Public Lands is honored by the Best of
State’s recognition of these two regional assets’ important contributions to
the Salt Lake City community.